Section 5 Table of Contents Classroom Examples Copyright Evergreen Curriculum Copyright





An approach to instruction which facilitates the development of the Common Essential Learnings within areas of study is having students learn in cooperative learning groups. This approach can be used with students from K-12, across subject areas, and in combination with other instructional strategies. It should be emphasized, however, that there is no single classroom structure that is best for all students or for achieving all instructional goals.

Co-operative learning is one Approach suggested for mixed ability classes. Since all team members are needed to accomplish the task, everyone has an opportunity to contribute. Students get more, chances to talk and to receive feedback than would be possible in whole-class instruction. Co-operative learning also allows for "peer tutoring" to occur.


Definitions

Co-operative learning is an approach where students work together to complete a task or project which is often based on their strengths, needs or interests. These groups vary in size from two to six members and use peer interaction and co-operation to help each other learn. Students engage in brainstorming, reflective discussion, mutual decision-making or conducting research. The purpose of using cooperative learning groups is to:

This approach works toward the development of authentic and compassionate self- and group-motivated learners. Such motivation comes from genuine interest, and from the positive feelings and fun which come from doing things together.

It is not possible to fully explain the variety of co-operative learning methods in this section. Therefore, resources have been listed at the end of this section so that individual authors can be referenced for further information regarding a particular co-operative learning method. In addition, those methods which emphasize a competitive component have not been described. The incorporation of the C.E.L.s in Core Curriculum works toward increased self-understanding, respect for others, tolerance and a belief in the necessity for co-operation in a "global village" rather than emphasizing competition.

    Learning Together. There are many types of cooperative learning methods. Johnson and Johnson (1988) have developed the Learning Together method which emphasizes the five elements of positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, individual accountability, social skills and abilities, and group processing or reflection. A brief discussion of each element follows.

Positive interdependence supports students in working together. Such interdependence can be structured in many ways. For example, students can:

Flexible seating arrangements facilitate face-to-face interaction. Students should be able to see and hear each other clearly. By explaining, elaborating and deliberating, students clarify their thoughts and start to develop connections between their present learning and their prior knowledge and experiences. Through hearing different points of view, students learn to rethink as well as clarify their own positions. This type of discussion with peers in co-operative learning groups promotes increased understanding of ideas.

The element of individual accountability encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning. Teachers can promote individual student learning and responsibility through:

Social processes and values related to communication, trust and conflict resolution need to be examined by students in order for co-operative learning groups to facilitate learning. Students need help in further developing their social skills and abilities by focusing on these separately through reflective classroom discussion and through opportunities to apply their understanding to a group situation. The class can discuss what goes wrong in group work and why, and generate their own list of social skills and abilities to work on. Academic tasks can be accompanied by social goals such as, moving quietly into groups or criticizing ideas without criticizing people. Data is collected, on the social skill or ability being practised, by the teacher or student(s) or both. It is important to focus on no more than two or three skills or abilities per lesson.

The group processing or reflection at the end of the lesson addresses both the academic and the social goals. The social skill or ability might even bet addressed before the academic task in order to emphasize the importance of developing the skills, abilities and processes required to work co-operatively with others. It is important to provide students with time to reflect individually or in small groups on how wel.1 they practised the social skills and abilities and on how they could improve. Large group discussion and sharing should bring forward the positive aspects of how well the group was able to work together and on what specifically facilitated their success. Teacher or student sharing of objective data related to individual and group use of' the social skill or ability should also focus on the positive aspects and should give ideas for further student success. In this cooperative setting, students evaluate not only the final product but also how well they maintained good working relations.

In summary, Johnson and Johnson (1989) maintain that co-operation among students promotes instructional outcomes such as higher self-esteem, general improvement in psychological adjustment and health, greater social skills and abilities, increased achievement and higher level reasoning when the learning groups demonstrate the five elements of:

    Jigsaw. Aronson (1978) developed this method whereby students become "experts" on a topic and then meet with other "experts" to study their chosen or assigned topic. This is accomplished by jigsawing the materials. That is, each student receives a portion of the materials to be introduced. Students leave their home groups and meet in "expert" groups to discuss the material and to brainstorm a number of ways in which to best present their understanding to the other members of their home group. The "experts" return to their home groups to teach their portion of the materials and to learn from the other members of their home group. See Figure 6.1 for a diagrammatic representation of this process.



Figure 6.1 Diagrammatic representation of Jigsaw method


This method is particularly appropriate when dealing with large amounts of material within a unit. It also promotes individual accountability as each person has the opportunity to discuss and present a portion of the unit under study. Materials can also be adapted to address the varied ability levels of students.

    Group Investigation. This is a co-operative group inquiry which emphasizes student collection of data, the interpretation of this information through group discussion, and the synthesis of individual student contributions into a group project. Sharan and Sharan (1989-90) have refined Thelen's model and outline six consecutive stages that students move through (see Joyce & Weil, 1986, for a fuller description of Group Investigation).

In the first stage, students identify the topic to be investigated and organize into research groups. During the second stage, students plan the investigation in their co-operative learning groups. Students carry out the investigation in the third stage. The fourth and fifth stages are the preparation and presentation of the final report. Evaluation comprises the sixth and final stage.

Evaluation includes student self-evaluations and anecdotal records taken by the teacher regarding individual student progress during all five stages, the report itself and perhaps a culminating exam which includes all of the material presented by each group. Such exams can have individual groups contribute two exam questions and be responsible for marking the responses to test particular questions as well.

Large-scale experiments demonstrate that Group Investigation promotes higher academic achievement than whole-class instruction and supports positive social interaction among classmates from different ethnic groups (see Sharan and Sharan, 1989-90, p.19 for references).

    Think-Pair-Share. This structure (see Kagan) has students think individually on a topic before discussing it with another student. This is usually followed by a whole class sharing. Kagan has developed, a number of co-operative learning structures (see Kagan, 1989-90, p.14 for an overview of selected structures). The most important principles, according to Kagan, incorporated into the various structures are positive interdependence and individual accountability.


Guiding Principles

It is possible to structure co-operative learning groups from a number of guiding principles. Most cooperative learning methods, including those outlined previously, have areas which overlap. It is from these overlapping areas that a set of guiding principles can be gleaned.

    Rationale. A first principle to investigate is whether or not co-operative learning is a useful approach to instruction. Research regarding the various methods is plentiful. Some of the benefits of co-operative learning include:

The research suggests that having students work in co-operative learning groups is a useful approach to add to one's teaching repertoire if your goal as a teacher includes any of the needs or values previously outlined.

    Group Composition. A second principle which can be drawn from the various co-operative learning methods is the use of academically, linguistically and socially heterogeneous groups. Benefits accrue to all group members when they are mixed by gender, race, reading level, language proficiency and other abilities.

Groups can be formed quickly by having students number off (e.g., all the number "ones" sit together), by using playing cards to form groups (e.g., "jacks" at this table), by using puzzle pieces to complete a picture or by distributing math equations which have the same answer. Some degree of student choice in the composition of groups should also be encouraged. Beginning experiences with co-operative learning may require the structuring of groups by teachers in order to support student learning and co-operation. These teacher-structured groups should be interspersed or alternated with student-chosen groupings. Journal writings or self-evaluations can have students focus on the choices they made (for group members) and what they learned from these decisions.

    Group Size. A third principle concerns group size. All of the methods consistently recommend starting small. Have students work in pairs initially, then in triads. Groups of four can often be broken down into pair work.

    Time. A fourth guiding principle for using co-operative learning groups to meet learning objectives relates to the length of time that groups should stay together. Groups can be informal and formed on an "ad hoc" basis. Such groups can be used to draw students' attention to important understandings in a unit, to provide an introduction or closure to a unit of study, or to provide instructional variety within a lesson. Activities might consist of interrupting a lecture and asking students to discuss, in pairs, the major theme of the lecture or one question they have formed during the presentation. Formal groups are usually structured to meet for a longer time in order to complete a project or assignment. Base groups are long-term and usually meet over a semester or year(s). These groups give prolonged support, encouragement and assistance for academic and social progress.

A common thread which weaves through all of the methods is the recommendation to leave groups together long enough to run smoothly. A group that is having trouble can be supported with student problem solving, teacher intervention or the incorporation of social skills and abilities.

    Goals. A fifth principle or guideline common to all of the co-operative learning methods is the selection of a common goal for the students to work toward. Academic and co-operative or social objectives need to be shared or developed with students. The academic task and desired social behaviors should be clearly understood.

    Monitoring and Intervention. Once the goal is structured, a sixth guiding principle presents itself. All of the methods reveal the critical role that teacher monitoring and intervention play. This provides an opportunity to clarify task directions, to observe how well students are conceptualizing, to foster students' questioning and thinking, to model desired cooperative behaviors and questions, and to collect data regarding individual student learning and behavior.

    Individual Accountability. If students are to meet objectives, their learning endeavors need to be valued. This, then, is the seventh guiding principle. Individual accountability or investigating individual student learning can be structured in a number of ways. Students can be given individual problems to solve or may be tested individually on the material discussed in groups. When completing one assignment, all students can sign the product demonstrating that they understand and can explain the group process or response. Large class discussions allow teachers to call on individual students for sharing of small group discussions or reflections.

    Reflection. A final principle which is related to goals is that of providing closure. Analyzing, evaluating or reflecting on what students have accomplished in their groups, both academically and socially, is extremely important. This process can take two minutes or twenty minutes. The length of time is not important; the process is. The emphasis here is one of critical thinking, sincerity and reflection.


Conclusion

As with any approach to instruction, the decision to use co-operative learning groups is based on the subject area objectives, the needs and strengths of the students, the C.E.L.s to be developed, the teacher's knowledge, experience and judgment and, most importantly, a clear understanding of why one would want to use this; approach and of the gains and losses which might result.

The arrangement of the room and the preparation of materials are imperatives in this approach as in any other. Students need to be able to turn and face each other or move desks around in order to facilitate face-to-face interaction. Materials to be read, shared, written or drawn on need to be readily available. Procedures for distribution of needed materials can be varied and developed by students.

When trying anything new, it is preferable to "start small". Begin with one lesson in a subject area you know well. Add other subject areas or classes as competence with the approach develops. If possible, invite a colleague to see your lessons and provide observational data.

Initial attempts at using this strategy can center around Johnson and Johnson's (1988) five elements. Questions which could guide this process include:

For those who are familiar with co-operative learning, the reflective checklist which follows outlines additional questions for reflection.

Many of the objectives for the C.E.L.s of Communication, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Values and Skills, and Independent Learning can be achieved through using co-operative learning groups. Numeracy and Technological Literacy can also be addressed depending on the subject area material students are working with. See the Appendix for objectives related to the Common Essential Learnings.

Co-operative learning methods differ from each other through emphasizing particular aspects. However, by following the principles outlined previously, it is possible to structure successful co-operative learning experiences which, further the development of students' knowledge, values, skills and abilities. The reflective checklist and practical classroom examples which follow build on this introductory discussion.


Reflective Checklist: Focused Imaging

The following questions may be useful when planning to use cooperative learning groups in your classroom. However, it is acknowledged that there are other questions which could guide this process. You are encouraged to build an those questions, which are useful and to develop others which better suit our purposes.

What purposes will be addressed?

1. To increase students' respect for and understanding of their own and each other's unique abilities, interests and needs

2. To develop students' abilities for critical thinking, sincerity and reflection

3. To deepen students' understanding of the unit under study

4. To build positive working relationships among students

5. To help students become independent learners

It is recognized that the previous objectives and related questions also work toward the development of this objective. Therefore, some overlap among the questions is to be expected.

Classroom Example: Grade 5 Drama


Classroom Example: Native Studies 20


Practical Resources

References




Section 5 Table of Contents Classroom Examples Copyright Evergreen Curriculum Copyright